Hello Friends and Happy Hump Day Wednesday

My youngest will be entering High School as a Senior which means no more standing at the bus stop in the rain…he drives, and no more back to school shopping…he wouldn’t be caught dead shopping with his mother…besides he has his own Debit Card.

His last year in High School is bittersweet but it doesn’t mean I can’t go “Back to School Shopping” and take advantage of the end of the season sales.

Leaving TJ Maxx I saw Barbie, a true fashionista, whose skirt and top were purchased at Nzinga’s Boutique. A perfect outfit to wear out and about running errands or shopping (s/o to Steve aka Ken – lol)

On Friday I had the pleasure of spending the day with my girlfriend, her mother and her daughter, 3 generations on a mission to thrift 2 outfits for less than $10.00 each from The Salvation Army Family Store. Driving north in the drizzling rain to Wilmington in anticipation of thrifting was a great way to start my vacation day.

The layout of The Salvation Army Family Store made it easy to maneuver the shopping carts throughout the floor and in between the racks, making it easier to locate bargains. We started at the front racks, filled with skirts, blazers, pants and tops organized by color and then worked our way back to the dresses, finding both casual and dressier attire.

The price points for clothing at The Salvation Army Family Store is higher than that of Goodwill but there are still bargains to be had. I found a pair of new, white Liz Claiborne jeans for $4.99, a perfect wardrobe addition for the summer! The “color of the day” was pink, which meant 50% off all clothing and shoes with a pink tag, and we each found at least one pink tag item.

Thrifting with the 3 generations of ladies at The Salvation Army Family Store was enjoyable as well as satisfying knowing that our purchases would be helping the Adult Rehabilitation Program. The Salvation Army’s mission is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and it was refreshing to hear the overhead announcement, “Welcome to The Salvation Army Family Store…Have a Blessed Day”

Once upon a time not so long ago car shopping was a fun and exciting adventure, flipping through magazines, reading the classifieds, looking for the perfect car, with the perfect color for the perfectly affordable price. That was “BK”, “before kids”, now as a parent of 2 sons we are once again in the market for a car, not for me nor hubby but for #1 son.

We were very fortunate the first time when we found a 2002 Hyundai Elantra at a very affordable price but with very high mileage and now, “Miranda” is on her last legs. She is not going to make it much longer and it’s not worth putting any more money into having her serviced. She was dutiful in her position and served us well, she valiantly got the boys back and forth to High School with weekend jaunts to the mall and grocery store. Now the time has come to find a replacement and it is not a fun event. The sticker prices are a hard pill to swallow but we must keep in mind that good safety features and good insurance ratings are our number one priorities.

Hubby and I spend a few hours yesterday looking for vehicles that might fit the bill, first stopping at Carman Auto Group in New Castle. We didn’t see many but there was a 2012 Ford Fiesta, with mileage that wasn’t too high but was a bit out of our price range.

Our next stop was at Willis Chevrolet in Middletown. Willis is where I have my Hyundai Sonata serviced and customer satisfaction is their #1 priority so it wasn’t a surprise to find that they had a few vehicles that caught our attention.

A 2011 Ford Fiesta SES, mileage was a bit high for it’s age and a sticker price worth negotiating, the other vehicle was a 2009 Chevy Cobalt Sport, mileage and price more palatable.

Now comes the fun part…the research…checking State Farm Insurance, KBB, Carfax,Cars.com, AAA, Costco and any other website to compare prices, and safety features – this is no longer a fun event and I still have to get a hooptie for son #2 – do you know where I can get a 2fer!

Hello Friends and Happy Tuesday

There are only a few traces of yesterday’s snow and according to the meteorologist, Mother Nature will be having a hot flash so all that remains will be melted by Friday. It’s tough for people not to accept the existence of Global Warming especially with all of these varying weather conditions around the world. Al Gore has been speaking out for years, now just maybe people will take him more seriously. Okay, stepping down off the soap box.

Most of you know that I love…love…love…shoes and will be the first to admit that I have too many, but it’s not something new, I have been a shoe lover since High School. I’ve always had to have the latest styles in different colors…pastel pinks…mellow yellow…aqua marine blue….heels…flats…sandals…boots – I loved them all. These days I don’t buy as many as I used to but when I find a bargain, I am on it like a heat seeking missile (remember the Target haul?) Because I have so many I can’t remember ever wearing the same pair two days in a row that was until today, this is the first time. There are two reasons for this, first I am still trying to get my closet in order and secondly, these Granny boots are comfortable and look cute with this outfit!

Last Friday Tayair and I went to Spence’s Bazaar to walk around as well as to see a friend of mine who has a small shop inside one of the buildings. I didn’t buy anything except a few rings and bracelets but it was fun walking around, seeing odd items including a juke box and a wooden sled.

It was a beautiful end-of-summer day made more so because it was spent with my oldest son

I hadn’t seen a juke box since the last time watching an episode of “Happy Days“

After we left the Flea Market I took Tayair to see where I had lived during high school and my first apartment during my college years, both places were vacant!

Our day ended at Papa Johns, Tayair’s favorite food is pizza. You can tell by looking at him that he had just as much fun with his mom as I did with my son. It was truly a great day for the both of us, despite it being the anniversary of my sister’s death.

If you are like me, you are NOT ready for back to school ~ not ready for going back to the routines ~ not ready for going back to the early morning regiment ~ not ready to go back to the homework, tests and projects. I know this too shall pass, but give me just a few more months to adjust and I’ll be happy!

Malik will be a Junior in High School so all he needed was new sneakers, a jacket and shirts & other than a backpack and according to him a car (yea right) we are done. I don’t need to buy school supplies because I’ve have a full stock which was purchased in bulk at the end of the season at Walgreens.

August 28th is knocking at the back door – Malik is ready – mommy isn’t

Yesterday I was so busy and exhausted after cleaning out the crawl space after a minor plumbing problem that I didn’t follow my Sunday evening routine. Normally on Sunday nights I prepare my outfits for the week, they are pulled, matched and hung neatly on the outside of my closet door. In the mornings I don’t have to worry about what I am going to wear or waste time trying to match shoes and accessories which for me is vital because I definitely am NOT a morning person. In addition to not having my outfits prepared, I had a restless night thinking about Malik going to an amusement park with his friends today. Can’t imagine why I am so anxious but I can now appreciate how my grandmother felt every time I left the house when I was in High School. I prayed that they have safe passage to and from the park and he did send a text that they had arrived safely.

Now on to today’s miss matched outfit which I didn’t notice until after viewing the pics – not one color in this shirt matches the pants!